froggg Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Danny Baker says he has been 'fired' over royal baby chimp tweet https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48212693 Complete muppet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Not a Danny Baker fan. At all. However, a stupid decision over somebody stupid doing a stupid thing. Online "Outrage" strikes again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Boo ducking hoo. It's impossible to know, but I'd be inclined to believe Baker when he says he didn't intend to invoke anyone's race. Black people don't look like monkeys, not even a little bit. I always find it weird that this is where so many people's minds go to when they hear the word. For the record, I actually have a real photo of the royal baby, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyinLiverpool Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 I suspect that Danny Baker is better off without the BBC. The BBC is worse off without Danny Baker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostyn6 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Danny Baker is a people person, doubt he has a racist bone in his body. Outrage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, Anon said: It's impossible to know, but I'd be inclined to believe Baker when he says he didn't intend to invoke anyone's race. I'd say it's almost impossible that he did it as a conscious OR sub-consciously racist act. If you follow him on twitter he is always firing off random silly picture jokes (the running joke of posting that picture of Bernie Winters whenever Suarez is in the news for example) - he just didn't stop to think it through. However, that doesn't mean it wasn't an error of judgement -because it was. He should have thought it through. Celebrities using Twitter should know that it's a game where winning means loads of (meaningless) likes and followers and losing means losing your job in disgrace -therefore be a bit careful what you say Not saying that's right, but it's the world we're signed up to unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxjam Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 SJW and outrage culture win again ? Unless you are going to call him a liar the pic was posted in good faith and not the 'product of a diseased mind'. You can argue that in this day and age he has no excuse but if he genuinely didn't get the connection and deleted the tweet and apologised when it was pointed out everything else is a massive overreaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintRam Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Tbh I've come across a lot of people who pay little mind to the royals and are often ignorant of the fact that Megan Markle is mixed race. I don't think it even crossed Baker's mind that he was inserting a chimp into the place of a partly black child. However, it is a big deal to a lot of black Britains (and internationals) that she is - so I don't think the initial controversy at the tweet is an overreaction. It's very much in the forefront of a lot of people's minds when discussing her. I do think however that while Baker's apologies are sincere, they're not very good. Just being honest and saying that he forgot she was mixed race, and that he was just trying to express that he sees the royals in general as "dancing monkeys" (although it'd be good to come up with a less inflammatory term ? ), would have done more. The BBC sacking him is just silly. Not that I particularly care, I've only ever experienced him on a couple of episodes of QI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaaLocks Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 As a couple of you on here know, I'm far from scared on pulling people up who make comments that I find offensive or disrespectful. But the reaction to the Danny Baker tweet is a prime example of how we have just gone too far - it was a silly post, one that he deleted and vehemently apologised for immediately on realising. But I think those who are choosing to be offended are really digging to find wrong in anything. If you see the original post (I won't post here in case it contravenes board rules) but it's a real stretch to be offended by that and I'd go as far to say that those who are put out are probably displaying more deep rooted racist thoughts than they realise. Not the end of the world, social media is daft anyway, but such a shame that this is being considered in the same vein as the bile that the likes of Katie Hopkins, Trump, Farage or Tommy Robinson eschew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
froggg Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 9 minutes ago, BaaLocks said: As a couple of you on here know, I'm far from scared on pulling people up who make comments that I find offensive or disrespectful. But the reaction to the Danny Baker tweet is a prime example of how we have just gone too far - it was a silly post, one that he deleted and vehemently apologised for immediately on realising. But I think those who are choosing to be offended are really digging to find wrong in anything. If you see the original post (I won't post here in case it contravenes board rules) but it's a real stretch to be offended by that and I'd go as far to say that those who are put out are probably displaying more deep rooted racist thoughts than they realise. Not the end of the world, social media is daft anyway, but such a shame that this is being considered in the same vein as the bile that the likes of Katie Hopkins, Trump, Farage or Tommy Robinson eschew. Agree completely but a nonetheless naive tweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearl Ram Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 I find it odd that Baker is down the road while Dan Roan was able to keep his job after defaming the character of the late Leicester City owner, insinuating an extra marital affair with another of the victims in that crash. Yeah he wasn’t a member of the royal family but in passing away he obviously couldn’t challenge the accusation and I happen to think tarnishing a dead man’s reputation is far worse that Baker’s indiscretion. Baker was daft, Roan plain nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaaLocks Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 12 minutes ago, froggg said: Agree completely but a nonetheless naive tweet. Maybe - but those who have followed his programme will remember that 'monkeys dressed as celebrities' has been a long standing part of his show. Plus he has a long standing association with music hall and '50s' style humour. As for the image - if it had been a monkey dressed as an African 'savage' or even if one of the other people in the image was black I could have maybe understood but it is a leap of understanding that I do think is beyond what could reasonably be expected. When was the last time anyone associated monkeys with black people? It's something that died out, quite rightly, a couple of decades ago and to rekindle the association is - in itself - not helpful. Also, if you see the tone of the apologies it is obvious to all that there were never intent nor realisation that offence would be caused. Sad times we live in where this gets more air time, even for a couple of hours, than plastic in the oceans, ISIS, Trump denying rape as a war crime, NHS doctors in decline or the one million other things that we should be focusing our time on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaaLocks Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 22 minutes ago, Pearl Ram said: Baker was daft, Roan plain nasty. Roan was plain jealous. I agree, flippant comment aside, and am amazed that Roan rehabilitated himself so quickly. It was nasty and stupid whereas Baker's action was, at worst, stupid. I get the point made above that many value Meghan Markel's mixed race but surely the point we want to get to is the place where it isn't an issue rather than one where it is. By taking such manufactured offence it moves us, in my opinion, in exactly the wrong direction than the one I think we have all taken as a nation since Meghan met Harry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BathRam72 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 To be fair, Baker IS stupid full stop. I am not even talking about his so called tweet, it is just my personal opinion that he is a twonk of the highest order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaaLocks Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 5 minutes ago, BathRam72 said: To be fair, Baker IS stupid full stop. I am not even talking about his so called tweet, it is just my personal opinion that he is a twonk of the highest order. He may well be but while all racists are stupid, not all stupid people are racists. I guess you could make the point that he has been fired for being stupid, rather than being racist, but still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoetheRam Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Like Baker I didn't put the fact the mother of this kid was mix raced together with the picture. Joke of a decision and, sound the cliche alarm, political correctness gone mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BathRam72 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, JoetheRam said: Like Baker I didn't put the fact the mother of this kid was mix raced together with the picture. Joke of a decision and, sound the cliche alarm, political correctness gone mad. I am not defending or shouting down the so called tweet as I have only heard second hand. I rarely watch the news or read online news, but if you have been living in this country for the past couple of years and not know or didn't put together that Megan is mixed race then quite frankly your head must be in the sand. I think if he has done this is is either very naive or doesn't read/watch/report on the news and as he is in the media I very much doubt he did not know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, BaaLocks said: He may well be but while all racists are stupid, not all stupid people are racists. I guess you could make the point that he has been fired for being stupid, rather than being racist, but still. That's essentially it innit? He's explained that it wasn't meant as racist and apologised profusely, but as a society we're at a point where we can't be emboldening racists. You make the valid point that the whole "monkey as racist insult" thing has largely died out, but it's not forgotten and if genuine racists see that he got away with that then they will take it as positive encouragement to do the same And before you question if people like that actually exist - I'll remind you that he's a Milwall fan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoetheRam Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 2 minutes ago, BathRam72 said: I am not defending or shouting down the so called tweet as I have only heard second hand. I rarely watch the news or read online news, but if you have been living in this country for the past couple of years and not know or didn't put together that Megan is mixed race then quite frankly your head must be in the sand. I think if he has done this is is either very naive or doesn't read/watch/report on the news and as he is in the media I very much doubt he did not know. I avoid all news to do with the Royal family, by basically avoiding all news - was only aware there was a new kid on the block via an email about a sweepstake on the name of the baby at work. I did know one of her parents were black, but as I said in my previous message I wouldn't have put the two things together when I saw Bakers tweet - at least not initially. Obviously when it's pointed out it does kind of hit you in the face, but genuinely wouldn't have thought that at first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Wouldn't have happened in the pre-Twitter days though eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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